The benefits of muscle exercises of a user are well known. For example, press exercises directed at the strengthening of the muscles of the upper torso after injury or surgery are well known in their ability to strengthen the muscles, to prevent atrophy of the muscles, and return the muscles to normal operation. Further, press exercises are well known for their ability to increase performance, strength, and/or enhance the appearance of one's body. Various press exercises have been developed to exercise the muscles of the upper torso, most of which involve contracting and/or extending one's arms against a resistant force, the resistant force provided by an exercise apparatus.
Although previously developed press exercise apparatuses are effective, they are not without drawbacks. In a typical embodiment of prior art press exercise apparatuses, a pair of press arms is coupled to a load-bearing assembly, such as a stack of weights. In operation, the user grasps a handle of each press arm and presses the handles outward from the chest of the user to exercise the muscles of the upper torso. Inasmuch as the press arms are restricted to paths extending perpendicularly outward from the chest, the press exercise apparatus does not allow the user's hands to move inward toward one another during the exercise, in a more natural motion.
A few of the previously developed press exercise apparatuses have addressed this limitation by permitting inward movement of the press arms along a single selected, predetermined path. However, these press exercise apparatuses are not without drawbacks. For instance, although the press exercise apparatuses allow inward movement, they do not allow the user to configure the press exercise apparatus such that press arms will follow a specific predetermined path selected from a multitude of different predetermined paths. Thus, the user is unable to choose a specific predetermined path that provides optimum comfort, a desired focus of the exercise upon a specific muscle or portion of a muscle, or an optimum orientation of the predetermined path relative to the specific body size of the user.
Prior art press exercise apparatuses often permit a user to adjust a position of a seat in relation to a rest position of the press arms. Further, prior art press exercise apparatuses permit the adjustment of the positions of the rest position of the press arms. In some of these devices, however, a user must separately adjust the position of the seat and the rest position of the press arms, resulting in an iterative adjustment process. More specifically, when a user adjusts the position of the seat, the user's orientation relative to the rest position of the press arms is changed, thereby necessitating the user to readjust the rest position of the press arms. Once the rest position of the press arms is changed, the readjustment of the seat position may be necessary. Thus, such adjustment can be an iterative process that can be awkward, time consuming, and frustrating for a user.
Prior art exercise apparatuses often utilize adjustment mechanisms for adjusting a separation distance between a first part of the apparatus and a second part of the apparatus, to adjust some aspect of the operation of the press exercise apparatus. While permitting a separation distance between a first part and a second part to be varied, prior art adjustment mechanisms permit the distance to be varied even when the adjustment mechanism is under a load. Thus, when a user manipulates the adjustment mechanism to alter the separation distance, the load can be suddenly and undesirably released. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/465,126 titled “Press Station with Adjustable, Various Path Feature” filed on Jun. 18, 2003 addresses these drawbacks.
Additionally, prior art exercise apparatuses often provide for the addition of add-on weights having weight increments between the weight increments provided for by the exercise apparatus. For example, it is typical for the weights of such exercise apparatus to incorporate fairly large weights, for example 10 lb weight increments. Add-on weights that are not integrally incorporated with the exercise apparatus can be provided having intermediary increments of, for example, 2.5 lbs, 5 lbs, and 7.5 lbs. Thus, the user is not restricted to choosing weight increments of, in this example, 10 lbs.
One drawback of prior art exercise apparatuses is that the add-on weights on prior art apparatuses are not intended to be stored in a rack but typically lie loosely on the floor, requiring the user to take the time to find the correct weight, pick up the weights from the floor, and install them on the device. Another drawback of prior art exercise apparatuses is that the add-on weights on prior art apparatus were loosely added without sufficient support and therefore were prone to movement or dislocation during the exercise routine and were easily lost. An additional drawback of prior art exercise apparatuses is that the add-on weights on prior art apparatus upset of the balance of the weights of such exercise apparatus with respect to the mechanisms that connect the weights to the user. One attempt to address these drawbacks has been the use of guided add-on weights that are guided in a track. The drawbacks of this type of approach include complication of structure, additional of costs, and the possibility that the frictional engagement of the guide tracks will alter the applied weight to the user.
What would thus be desirable is for an exercise apparatus that provide a mechanism for add-on weights. Such add-on weight mechanism should be convenient to use. Such add-on weight mechanism should be added with sufficient support to minimize movement during the exercise routine and preclude lost weights. Such add-on weight mechanism should not upset the balance of the weights of such exercise apparatus with respect to the mechanisms that connect the weights to the user. Such add-on weight mechanism should avoid the use of add-on weights that are guided in a track. Such add-on weight mechanism should be provided with a simplicity of structure, little addition of costs, and avoid the possibility that the frictional engagement of the add-on weights will alter the applied weight to the user.